Cats and Mouse chase at John's First Halloween...

Molly was at it again as she made our Halloween costumes again this year!  Marin wanted to be a cat, so of course Emilie then wanted to be a cat.  So we made John a mouse!  Adorable!!

The golf club had a fun Halloween party with pumpkin carving, crafts, pinatas, karaoke, a hay ride, and plenty of candy!

We carved our pumpkins and is tradition on baby's first Halloween, we stuck John in the pumpkin.  

Marin had a darling Fall program at her school, where they sang all their fall songs and wore their costumes.  

John William- Two Months!

Two Month Stats

11 lbs. 13 oz.

22.5 inches long

 

My little angel boy is two months old!  When did that happen?!  I held a brand new newborn the other day and I swear compared to her, it felt like John should have tennis shoes and a backpack and be headed off to school.  He's growing too quickly!

I think since I know that this is may last baby, everything is going triple speed.  Or, it could just be since I have three kids that things are going triple speed.  Whatever the reason, I am acutely aware that the days of a tiny little baby perfectly snuggled in the crook of my neck, are numbered.  And although I know that it's how life goes, it is horribly sad so slowly be leaving this chapter of life behind.  Suffice it to say, I am trying to enjoy every single millisecond with my baby John.   All the while, dreaming of a time machine to slow down time.  (Although truth be told, there are a few days we could just fast forward right through- due in part to the two dramatic toddlers going on teenagers in our house.)

These days John is smiling up a storm and melts all of our hearts when he does.   He's a happy little guy.  He tracks us with his eyes well when we come into a room, and definitely hears his sisters voices.  He grasps our fingers and my hair or the collar of my shirt while I am nursing him.  He is strong, holds his head up well, and turns it from side to side. He is starting to be awake more and more now and when he is awake he is very alert.  He also loves to snuggle, and I love that he loves to snuggle.  He really prefers to be held all the time if he could, but he tolerates his swing for small periods of time when we can't hold him.  His sisters lived for that thing, John more just tolerates it.  He naps swaddled in his swing, however.  And he'll sleep like for a few hours. 

John loves to be swaddled- it's pretty much the only way that he'll sleep.  So we swaddle him for naps and at bedtime.  The longest he has slept at a time was 8 hours and 15 minutes, which was an amazing night and would have been even more amazing had I gone to bed when he did.  Up until this week, he would go to bed around 8:30 and sleep until 3 or 3:30.  But all of the sudden this week he's up again at 1:30.  Still, he's regularly up only one time at night, so I can't complain about that.  And he eats, and then goes back to sleep.  He is able to put himself to sleep awake, but drowsy, as long as he has a full belly and has burped.

Jason and I think he's a perfect angel, and his sisters definitely agree.  The newness of him hasn't worn off to them yet, and I hope it won't until he's totally assimilated himself as "one of them".  I can't wait to hear them all talking to each other, and watch them all running through the house together.  John really is a good baby.  And he's our sunshine. 

oh no... i'm about to cry!

Tres

So many people ask me, "How is it with three?" Here's my take: It's really just the same as life with two, only doubled.  More diapers, less sleep, less time to get things done, more running around.  With two, you're doing these things already, so three is just bringing another along for the ride.  And that's just what John does.  He's along for the ride.

And with his crazy sisters, totally insane mama and our crazy schedules, the "along for the ride" attitude is going to serve him well.  Poor guy has no other choice.  When Marin was born we took leisurely stroller walks through the park.  We read books for hours.  Literally hours.  We perused neighborhood book stores and shops.  When Emilie was born there was some of that, but a little less.  But now, to peruse a book store means that I have a four year old and a two year old in tow, on top of  the i-could-start-screaming-and-demand-to-eat/blow-out-my-outfit-any-minute newborn.  The "big kids" are likely pulling on me asking to buy something, one or both will inevitably have to use the potty, and they're both probably running in circles singing pre-school songs.  I'll spell it out for you- that's not peaceful.  But it's not to say we don't do it.  We do it plenty.  It's just with a lot of talks in the car first about being respectful in public places, the old "this is not a jungle gym" talk, and let's just be real: there's also bribery.  I am not above bribery.  If you are, and you have a toddler, you are either Jesus or stupid.  Sorry if that's harsh. 

I was at a mother's group recently and we were listening to a speaker.  It was a mom who had been there and survived.  Her children are now all in their late 20's.  She stated out asking who in the room had a toddler.  When we raised our hands, she joked that everyone else in the room should pray for us.  She said that the only difference between a toddler and a teenage is height and weight.  In both cases, she said, you find yourself asking your child, "what were you thinking?!"  Moving on to the next parenting challenge, she asked who had a child at home who was potty training.  I found myself raising my hand again.  Finally she asked who in the room had an infant that they were likely up in the middle of the night with, worrying about every little milestone and was likely breastfeeding.  Raised my hand again.  I'm like a circus act.  A lot of balls in the air, a lot to juggle.  But it was good to see that my hand wasn't the only one that went up all those times. 

Sometimes I feel badly for John.  He only knows me to be crazy.  I am certain he thinks I yell too much.  Marin didn't see me yell for almost 3 years.  And by then, Emilie was already 6 months old.  Poor John probably has partial hearing loss from hearing me scream at his sisters even while he was in the womb.  Yeah, I gotta work on that.  I always start out calm, and then by the third time I have to ask you to put your shoes on, I go a little wacky.  John only knows a crazy run around schedule.  Maybe after both of his sisters are in school full time we'll sit down and read books for hours, but it's not likely to happen before then.  However,  just when I start to feel badly for John's because of the circumstances of being the third child, I catch him smiling at his sisters who are crowded around him singing their favorite songs, or telling him, "You're so cute, JohnJohn!".  And I know he's going to be alright.  A good friend once told me that a sibling is the greatest gift you can ever give your kids.  And it's so true.  They are enamored with each other.  But the real truth is that even with all the craziness (and, unfortunately the yelling), when my kids are all together in the same space it brings me incredible, inexplicable happiness.  It's too bad we can't bottle it.  Seeing my children together enjoying each other is literally the greatest joy of my life. Because one day, I won't be here, and all they'll have is each other.  And they can sit together, drinking beers and talk about how they all drove mom crazy.

John William- One Month Old (Almost One Month Ago)

One Month Stats: 

10 lbs. 5oz.

22 inches

 John was one month old on September 21st, which was almost another whole month ago now, but alas, such is the life of the third child.  I did take these pictures on the 21st of September, so I consider that to mean that I am still on top of it.  Winning. 

John is a good little guy.  He sleeps like a champ, which is amazing.  At one month, he gets up about twice a night, at about 1am and 4am.  He eats and goes right back to sleep right away.  He poops constantly, like crazy.  In his first few weeks of life, he went about 12 times a day.  And that is not an exaggeration.  Yeah.  Everything works.  But he's still gaining weight, he regained his birth weight before his one week check and continued to gain well from there.  He's a good eater.  Marin told someone the other day, "John's a good sleeper like me, and a good eater like Emilie!"  Guess she's heard us say that a few times. When we first brought Marin home from the hospital she slept like a champ, but we had a really hard time eating.  Emilie was just he opposite.  She latched right away, but was a bit more finicky in the sleep department.  So far, John seems to be the best of both worlds! 
With good eater comes good spitter-upper, it seems.  I'm once again covered in it, as is he.  The smell absolutely repulses Jason.  I guess I'm used to it.  

John is very alert.  He's been this way since he was only days old.  He loves to look around and I think he recognizes our faces; especially the girls and I who spend most of the day in his face.  The girls love to say, "Look at me, John John! I'm your big sister!"  Marin especially loves to say this.  And then Emilie says it because Marin just did. ;)  He likes music and to be sung to.  We sing "You are my John John" to the tune of "You are my Sunshine".  He loves to snuggle, especially facing your chest, all nuzzled up under your chin.  He still curls his little legs into a ball, and I love this because it reminds me that even at 10 pounds, he's still a tiny little bundle. 

In the wee hours of the morning I whisper to him that he's my sweet baby boy and I tell him I love him 4,000 times while kissing the top of his head.  Sometimes during various points in the day I kiss his cheeks until it's almost weird.  And I just literally want to eat him whole.  He's such a sweet little yummy munchkin and I love every inch of his baby skin. 

We all make John predictions.  Will his hair be light like the girls?  Will it be curly? What will he love?  What will he make of all the pink tutus in our basement?  Will he happily play princesses?  How will he change this estrogen palace?  What will be the dynamic between he and his sisters? Will he cure cancer? I can't wait to discover.  I can't wait to see his dreams come true.  I can't wait to watch him grow.

We love you, John John.  You have stolen our hearts.